1860 Munich forward Kenny Cooper injured his knee in training on Monday and is expected to miss approximately three weeks due to ligament damage in his right knee.

While his presence in the lineup will be missed by the underperforming Lions, both Cooper and the team will feel they have dodged a bullet as the injury is nowhere near as serious as originally feared.

Coach Ewald Lienen had originally expressed fears that he had suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament, an injury which could have led to six-month absence. The diagnosis, while still keeping Cooper on the sidelines for several weeks, will come as a relief to the team as he is expected to return by mid-December.

"He has an MCL tear in his right knee and also in his patellar retinaculum ligament," Leupold clarified. "The injury won't require any surgery, so it's estimated that he will need to have a three-week pause."

Cooper - and the Lions - have cooled off significantly in recent weeks with the season's midway point approaching.

After netting two goals in his first three league games, the former FC Dallas man has yet to add to his totals in league play, only finding the back of the net since then in late-September's German Cup win over Hertha, and being limited to second-half substitute minutes in his last four appearances.

His slump is mirrored by the Munich-based team's overall lackluster performance, as they have only won once in their last eight attempts and have fallen dangerously down the standings to 15th place, a mere two points above the league's relegation playoff spot.